KNEE PAIN FROM SKIING CAN BE CAUSED BY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING INJURIES

KNEE/ACL INJURIES

Since the design of snowboard boots and bindings have evolved, lower extremity injuries, such as the knee, have slowly become less common to snowboarders than skiers.

Though not as common in snowboarding as it is in skiing, ligament tears and ruptures do happen on your board. Strain to the medial collateral ligament -- which connects your thigh and shin bone -- is one of the most common knee injuries on the slopes, occurring when your knee is twisted. You may feel pain when your knee is bent and your shin moves outward. ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, injuries are on the rise. This ligament prevents excessive rotation of your knee joint and forward movement of your shin bone. Injuries to these two ligaments most often occur during stunts where you are required to land a jump or trick.

The anterior cruciate ligament (“ACL”) helps keep the knee stable and prevents excessive motions such as bending the wrong way. The knee becomes lax, or gives out from under the athlete, when the ACL is torn, making a popping sound and causing immediate instability. Unfortunately, an ACL injury can cause knee instability even weeks after swelling has gone down and normal activity has been reinstated. Knee supports such as the DonJoy Ski Armor should be considered by skiers having suffered such knee injury to protect the knee from giving out in the future.

But, if an ACL injury arises, a supportive knee brace is a must-have item. To avoid this, snowboarders should do knee exercises prior to hitting the slopes to prepare the body for quick reactions and off balance movements. Like any sport, it's important to do a proper warm-up and cool down when snowboarding.

PCL, MCL AND LCL INJURIES

The other three important ligaments of the four that keep the knee stabilized are the posterior cruciate ligament (“PCL”), the medial collateral ligament (“MCL “) and the lateral collateral ligament (“LCL”). Tears of these ligaments are less frequent than ACL injuries but occur nonetheless.

MENISCUS TEAR

The meniscus is tough cartilage around the knee that absorbs shocks and distributes you body weight across the knee joint. When torn, the meniscus makes a clicking sound and sharp pain occurs immediately. Twisting or squatting can cause increased pain during swelling period. A meniscus tear can happen along with an ACL or a MCL injury.

When a skier falls and one of the knee (or both) twists while the foot remains planted on the ski, the skier will most likely suffer an ACL rupture.

The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four important ligaments holding the knee joint together. The ACL can tear when a skier lands on a bent knee then twisting it or landing on an overextended knee. A popping sound can be heard and the skier will have the sensation that the knee gave out. This sensation is caused by the knee joint becoming lax after the ACL quits its job of holding it together and assuring its stability.

An ACL tear is a serious skiing ailment, and one of the most widespread among skiers. Because the feet are bound to long thin boards and are independent from each other, as opposed to skiboarding or snowboarding, the risk of one ski getting caught while the other continues its course is very high. Other ligament sprains often occur as well, but the ACl rupture is the most common and the most severe.

Instability from such an occurrence happens often, and the duration is usually determined by the severity of the tear. It is just about impossible to prevent yourself from falling when on the slopes, and every time you fall you run the risk of injuring your ACL. There is something you can do...to avoid ACL injuries while skiing, wear a knee brace that offers extra support to your ACL. This will ensure you sufficiently protect your knees while skiing and allow you to stabilize them if they do become injured.

HOW TO AVOID PAIN FROM SNOWBOARDING

Here are some tips to help prevent unnecessary injuries so you can enjoy this fun and exciting sport throughout the winter season:

Attend learning courses if beginner.

Warm up and down exercises are essential.

Keep an eye on other snowboarders and the terrain for holes, tree wells or rocks; injuries occur more often in natural environment than in terrain parks.

Use protective gear and equipment such as wrist guards, tailbone pads and knee pads.

Know your limitations.

SKIING KNEE SUPPORTS HELP PREVENT KNEE INJURIES

Finding the right knee support to stabilize your knee joints is important. The Orthomen Functional ACL Knee Brace supports the knee suffering from ACL, PCL, MCL or LCL mild to serious injuries. It provides knee support for skiing with increased knee joint stability for great skiing. The Orthomen Functional ACL Knee Brace is suited for skiers who have instabilities in both knees or skiers who have an injury on one knee and want to prevent the same happening on the other knee. It is fit with a Medial Ski Deflector on the medial hinge (inside) so that the brace hinge will not be caught on the brace on the other leg, thus preventing even more injury.

PLAN ON SKIING WITH TORN ACL?

ACL injuries are common and if you suffer from this injury there is no reason you can't get back on the slopes. If you plan on skiing with a torn ACL, the Orthomen expert designers have come up with the perfect ACL knee brace to protect your knees and enjoy skiing.

The ski version of the Orthomen Functional ACL Knee Brace helps prevent ligament injuries by stabilizing the knee joint and significantly reduces the strain on the ACL. It uses a Medial Ski Deflector on the inside hinge to prevent the knee brace from getting caught on the brace worn on the other knee, and avoid the brace from catching on ski pants. It is designed by fit above rigid ski boots.

The Orthomen Functional ACL Knee Brace is the best stabilizing knee joint brace on the market. It helps stabilize mild to severe ACL rupture as well as other ligament sprains which can cause instabilities in the knee joints. It is recommended for use by active, sedentary, and adolescent patients who suffer from knee ligament sprains or rehabilitating from ACL ruptures; and it also prevents knee injuries.

The Orthomen Functional ACL Knee Brace is equipped with swiveling strap tabs that work well for any muscle type. The impact guard will protect your shin and knee, avoiding the PCL or posterior cruciate ligament from spraining from a frontal impact on a bent knee.